Devil Island

In a real life 'Madagascar', 50 mollycoddled Tasmanian Devils are hauled from the 5 star luxury of Australian zoos and cast away like convicts on a remote island to fend for themselves. Little do they realise the very fate of their kind rests on their shoulders. Since 1996 the Devil has fallen prey to a highly contagious facial cancer that has wiped out 80% of the wild population. Now, wildlife biologist Nick Mooney and his team have hatched an audacious plan to save these devilishly delightful little critters from extinction. They will create an 'insurance' population of disease-free Devils on the former penal settlement of Maria Island off the coast of Tasmania. It's a risky experiment - because 'disease-free' means 'captive' and the one hundred individuals they've handpicked from zoos and animal sanctuaries across Australia have never hunted for themselves, found shelter or faced a pr
edator in their pampered little lives.moreless

Seasons:

Episodes:

1Mission Maria Island

Three Tasmanian devil joeys, Reba, Remmy and Ruben, prepare to leave life in captivity for an adventure into the wild that may hold the key to the survival of their species. Orphaned when their mother died of Devil Facial Tumour Disease, a devastating cancer epidemic that is sweeping Tasmania, Reba, Remmy and Ruben have never lived in the wild. Raised by wildlife carer Lorraine Deweys, their home is a breadbox, lunch comes in a bottle and they seek their comfort from a large stuffed toy. But while they are small and fluffy now, scientists hope the trio and many others like them will grow to become the predators they were born to be. In an ambitious plan to save the species, a rescue squad of scientists plans to take 15 healthy devils to the protected habitat of Maria Island, off the east coast of Tasmania, to start a new, disease-free dynasty. At 20 kilometres long and 13 kilometres wide, the island's Jurassic landscape of rugged mountains, lush bush and open plains are the perfect ...

2Devil D Day

Scientists put the Tasmanian devils through personality tests to make sure they can cope with the adventure that awaits them - and freedom for the first time - on remote Maria Island. The second episode of Aussie Animal Island follows the devils to an isolation centre in Hobart where scientists from the Save the Tasmanian Devil team assess their behaviour. To survive in the wild, the devils must shy away from human contact but remain curious about their surrounds. First up is Reba. To earn her spot in the Maria Island squad she must avoid the food hidden under a beach ball, a test designed to determine whether she'll avoid human temptations on the island. Reba passes the test but, to prevent inbreeding, brother Ruben misses out. The devils are released into a large enclosure where a hierarchy emerges as big Jimmy hogs the food and hapless Manny goes without. Once training is complete, the scientists put the devils through final health checks and fit five lucky recipients with GPS ...

3Meet the Neighbours

As the newly released Tasmanian devils explore their new home on Maria Island, the hand-reared predators find the going tough and must dig deep to find the wild animal within. The third episode of Aussie Animal Island follows 15 Tasmanian devils released into the wild in a disease-free environment in a desperate attempt to save the species from extinction. The devils explore their new home, finding plenty of strange sights and smells in the forests, beaches, open fields and dense scrub. Once home to a penal colony of prisoners, Maria Island is now a national park and tourists flock from around the world to enjoy the native geese, kangaroos and wombats that abound. But how will the committed herbivores cope with 15 hungry, carnivorous hunters? The devils are curious, cautious and hungry. While one lands a free meal under the nest of a wedge-tail eagle, others live up to their scavenging reputations by tucking into long dead wildlife. When Manny does the unthinkable and crashes a ...

4Summer on Devil Island

The fourth episode of Devil Island follows the devils through a scorching summer and some of the hottest days on record. They have been scavenging but now must learn to hunt as the scientists no longer provide supplementary food drops. While Tasmania experiences bushfires, the devils must adjust to their new environment. Wild devils are nocturnal but this hand-reared squad has grown up in captivity so follow human hours. Instead of cooling in a burrow, the devils are lying around in the hot sun. The only animals coping with the heat are the island's Little Penguins that feed out at sea. The scientists fear the devils might feast on these tiny creatures and monitor the devils movements with radio collars and remote cameras to make sure they stay clear of the penguin colony. As the hunt for food continues, Reba, who's never killed anything in her life, is loosing weight. She's not the only one. Maria Island's grazing wildlife, the Forester kangaroos and the Cape Barron geese, are ...

5Manny Goes Missing

It's the breeding season but four months after releasing 15 Tasmanian devils on remote Maria Island, the scientists are worried. Manny the male who loves exploring is missing. In the fifth episode of Devil Island, Reba, one of the eight female devils, has finally got the hang of finding food. Now she must find a mate to breed a new generation of disease-free devils. As breeding season draws near, the scientists set traps around the island to capture and examine each of the devils to ensure they are healthy and ready to mate. Red oil in their pouches indicates they are fertile and the devils commence their brutal courtship. Male devils fight tooth and nail for their chosen female, often both biting her and trying to carry her back to their den. Once the male has succeeded he will hold the female hostage for days preventing any other male from coming near her. But it's not just the devils that are getting ready to breed as the male wombats and Forester kangaroos put on displays of ...

6Devil Dynasty

It's been five months since their release and the future looks bright for the 14 surviving disease-free Tasmanian devils on Maria Island as all eight females prepare to have joeys. In a resounding success for this groundbreaking scientific project, the final episode of Devil Island follows the devils and the birth of their young. By mid autumn on Maria Island, many of the kangaroos have already given birth when the scientists return to check on the devils. They discover that big Jimmy's been a busy lad - so busy that he's forgotten to eat and has lost almost a third of his weight. Next up is Reba and its good news, she has two tiny babies in her pouch. It's a milestone moment. Reba's offspring will be the first Tasmanian devils born in the wild off mainland Tasmania. After finding Reba's den, the scientists set up a camera to study her maternal behaviour and are surprised to find she has received not one, but two male callers. Male Tasmanian devils don't usually mix with females ...